Caisson construction.



E. BIGNELL.

CAISSON CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIUATION FILED SEP1'.G,1 J12.

Patented July 8, 1913.

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elevation and longitudinal section.

'ular line 3 3 of Fig. 3.

EDWARD BIGNELL, OF LIN COLN, NEBRASKA.

GAISSON CONSTRUCTIQN.

1 ,OtithQS-tt.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Application filed September 6, 1912.

Patented July 8, 1 91.3. scream. 11mm.

To (172 ii /2.0m- 1' t may concern Be it known that I, Enwann BIGNELL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county ofLancaster and tatc of Nebraska, have invented certain new and usefulI'mprovemtmts in Caisson Construction, of whichthe following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improvement in caisson construction, andbroadly in cludes certain novel means by use of which caissons may bebuilt of reinforced concrete in the position where they are to remain,and by use of which they may be conveniently handled and sunk to acomparatively great depth in any location ,where required, andparticularly in harbors or river beds for the support of wharves, piersor bridges.

The invention consists of the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts as described herein and claimed, and as illustratedin the drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a caisson illustrating oneembodiment of my invention, the section being on the irreg- Fig. 2 is aview partly broken and 1n section, being a side elevation of the samecaisson shown in Fig. 1, the scale being somewhat reduced, the nozzleand conducting pipes being removed and the casings filled with concrete,said view also showing a concrete foundation formed below the caisson, awater line, and a part of the river bed or ground in which the caissonhas been sunk. Fig. 3 is a. plan view of the upper section of thecaisson, the supply pipes and their couplings at their upper terminals,being removed. Fig. i is a plan view of the partition or upper wall ofthe water receptacle. Fig. 5 is a transverse section, partly broken,taken above the inner con'ipartment and above the water receptacle, ason the irregular line 5 f Fig. 1, to show a plan of the lower section.Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are detail views to clearly show the constructionand mounting of the central or main conducting pipe and nozzle. Fig. (lis a view of the lower part of the main conducting pipe and collar. Figsand 8 show the nozzle, respectively, in side Fig. 9 is a view partlybroken and in section, showing the nozzle threaded in the supportlngblock, the main conducting pipe being threaded in the nozzle.

Referring now to the drawing for a more particular description, thecaisson consists, in part, of the lower section 1, the up )0! section 2and intermediate section I}, all preferably being of the same diameterand each consisting, 111 part, of'a metallic, cylindrical casing l ofany suitable length or diameter, provided with continuous, transverse,outwardly'projecting, terminal flanges 53. While I I have shown only oneintermediate section 3, any desired number may be used, depend ing uponthe required length of the caisson and also depending upon its diameter;and in some instances the lower section alone may be used.

The lower section is provided, preferably, with a convexed orbowl-shaped bottom 6, and secured upon the inner side and at the middleof said bottom is the interiorly threaded supporttug-block 7, formedwith a circular groove 8 opening upon its upper end. To provide anannular receptacle or water compartment 9 in the lower section, I employthe cylindrical casing 10 having a length equal to or greater than thelength, and a diameter less than that of said section. It has a lowerterminal flange 11 suitably secured upon the bottom (3; and by means ofthe annular plate 12 having an upset. flange 13 suitably secured to theupper end of casing 10, a transverse partition or containing wall isprovided for the upper end of said water compartment, the outer part ofsaid partition or wall12 being secured by suitable kcepers 14: betweenanges 5 of the respective lower and intermediate sections; and by meansof said flanges and keepers, these two sections may be rigidly connectedend to end. i

The importance of providing the caissons in sections is very great, andwhen constructed in accordance with the herein description, they will becomparatively inexpensive and may be conveniently handled, and willadequately resist lateral stresses.

At 15 are indicated numerous perforations formed in staggered relationin the outer wall of the water receptacle 9, as best shown in Fig. 2;and perforations it) are also formed in the bottom (3, thesecomparatively small apertures providing discharge passagmvays for thewater which may be contained in receptacle i The upper section may besecured upon the intermediate section, their flanges 5 registering andsecured by keepers 17. At 1.8 are indicated tubular members orconducting pipes, each being provided at its upper end with .a supplypipe 19, and water under pressure may pass within receptacle 9 and bedischarged through perforations 15 and .1l5,'said pipes having threadedconnections at their lower ends with couplings or sleeves 20, saidsleeves being suitably secured to and traversing the wall or partition12. lVhile I have shown only four pipes 18, a greater or lesser numbermay be employed, as may be required.

At 21 is indicated a tubular member or main conducting pipe disposedcentrallyof the caisson. It is provided at its lower end with adischarge member or nozzle 22, its upper end having a supply pipe 23. Byreferring to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the nozzle is interiorlythreaded so that it may be conveniently mounted upon or removed from thethreaded terminal a of pipe 21. Also the nozzle is exteriorly threadedas indicated at b (Fig. 7 said exterior threads 7) being inclinedreversel to threads on a, and in practice, before te caisson is sunk,the nozzle is generally secured to project beyond or outwardly of thebottom of the caisson, by means of its threaded connection with thesupporting-block 7.

At 24 is indicated a sleeve disposed to surround the conducting pipe 21.Its lower end may be mounted in groove 8, and it preferably has alengthas great as that of the lower section, and therefore an annularcompartment" 25 is formed, with an imperforate bottom, between the wallof the sleeve 24 and wall 10 of water receptacle 9, and as will be seen,this compartment during the operation of sinking the caisson, isemployed for containing heavy material, and preferably the concrete 26,to cause the cais' son to sink vertically.

' At 28 are indicated spiders orannular plates having radially disposedarms con-' nected with wall. 10. They provide braces which may beconveniently formed. best shown in Fig. 5, their terminals are formedwith upset flanges 29. Bolts 30 may transversely traverse receptacle 9and walls 4 and 10 of the lower section, and may be suitably secured toflanges 29, said bolts being provided with spacing members, braces orsleeves 31, and by reason of this arrangement, lateral stresses directedagainst and radially of the lower section may be effectively resisted.Tn Fig. 5 only four of the arms 27 and sleeves 31am shown, and asillustrated in Fig; 1, only two of these spiders are provided, but thenumber of these members may be greater or less, dcpcnding obviously uponthe diameter of the aisson and the depth to which it. is to be sunk.

t. best shown in Fig. .3. are indiated radially disposed arms whichconnect the annular plates 33 with the walls 1- of and this is adesirable feature.

the upper and intermediate sections, said arms 32 having transverseflanges 34- adapted to bear upon said walls 4, and secured by keepers35. These spiders or plates with their radially disposed arms provideell'cce tive braces, and they may be arranged in the sections in anysuitable numbers sufficient to withstand lateral stresses directedagainst the sides of the sectionsn Also in this connection it may bestated that the continuous flanges 5 and transverse partition 12 tend toresist stresses directed against or radially of the cylindrical caisson,and this is one of their functions.

It will be understood that the lower section, which is first sunk, mayat that time bewholly separated from the other sections,

noted that the use of flanges 5 and their keepers permit thisseparation, and provide a convenient means for connecting the sectionsend to end. Also to facilitate the separate handling of the sections inthe provision of caissons of unusual length, pipe 21 and pipes 18 areformed in sections, to be connected by pipe couplings 36, saidconnections being adjacent to flanges In operation, the conducting pipes18 and 21 are mounted within the caisson, the main conducting pipe 21being disposed to traverse the annular plates or central apertures ofthe spiders, and conducting pipes 18 being disposed between arms 32thereof. Threads a at the lower end of pipe 21 will register withthreads 0 of the nozzle, and water under pressure, as above described,may be discharged below the caisson through perforations 16 and nozzle22, the force of the water excavatii'ig and moving the ground to such anextent that the caisson will sink by gravity. In order that the caissonmay be directed vertically at the time it sinks, a quantity of cementor, concrete 2G is deposited in compartment 2' Also water will moveoutwardly from perforations 15 to prevent any ground or similarsubstance from adhering to the side of the caisson.

At 37 is indicated a hood of'invertcd funnel shape. It may be mountedupon pipe 21 and may overhang the upper, open end of sleeve 24 toprevent the cement or concrete from passing-within the sleeve andadhering to pipe 21, for it will be understood that this pipe, after thecaisson has been sunk, may be removed. Y

During operation, all of the work may be directed and performed withoutdescend- It will be.

ing below the level o'l the ground or water;

.'.-'\t 38 are indicated nm'ncrous, connected reinforcing stripsdisposed Wltllln and lon'-"' gitndihally of the caisson, and when thecaisson is filled with concrete, as shown in Fig. 2, this reinforcingmaterial, preferably of metal, will be embedded in the concrete for thepurpose of resisting any force tend ing to bend the caisson.

Anydesired number of reinforcing strips may be employed, and they may besupported by any suitable means while the sections are being filled, asupon arms or braces and 32 and upon sleeves 31, any suitable strandsbeing employed, as shown in the drawings, for securing the stripsthereon. In arranging the strips, care should be exercised so that theywill be disposed, for the most part, near the circumference of thecaissons and in the plane of the connected flanges 5, so that each stripwill provide an integral portion projecting inwardly of the ends of theconnected sections, and to the end that the caisson may be fullyreinforced at the connected terminals of the sections when the tiller ofconcrete is finally deposited therein.

- After the caisson has been sunk to a desired depth, a foundation 41 ofconcrete may be formed below its bottom, if desired. To provide thisfooting or foundation, the nozzle 22' first removed. Since theinclination of "the threads I) of the nozzte isfire verse to theinclination of threads r of pipe 21, it is.

obvious that. a rotation Of'tl'llfi pipe in one direction may cause arelease of the nozzle from supporting-block 7; and after pipe 21 withits nozzle 22 has been withdrawn from the caisson, the nozzle may beremoved from said pipe.

Pipe 21, as shown in Fig. 6, is'provided with an exteriorly threadedcollar or boss 4; and when said pipe again lowered in the caisson, minusthe nozzle, it may be mounted in and supported by block 7. Cement orconcrete in a plastic condition may then be disposed in said pipe, andpipe 23 may be employed as a conduit for compressed air;

and by means of the .air pressure thus employed, the concrete or cementor other analogous mixture may be forced through pipe 21 to bedischarged below bottom 6, and to form the foundation 41.

At 39 are'indicated holders or anchorins mounted upon and projectingbelow the ottom' of the caisson. Any suitable number of these membersmay be employed, and after the concrete has become hardenedthey willoperate to bind or connect the foundation 41 with the bottom of thecaisson.

Couplings 40 of pipes 18 may be removed,-

and cement or concrete in a plastic condition maybe passed through saidpipes so that receptacles 9 m: be filled with that material, and supplypipes 19 may be employed as conduits for compressed air, so that saidreceptacle may be filled as described; and the ren'iaining parts of thecaisson may be filled with the usual mixture of concrete or cement, andwhen it becomes hardened the caisson will be complete.

In practice, before the several sections of the caisson are filled withthe plastic concrete, pipes 18 and 21 are generally removed. Since thesleeve 24 prevents contact or ad'- hesion of the supply of concrete orcement 26 with said pipe 21, all of the pipes may be removed if desired;or if the caisson is of unusual length, the pipes may remain therein asadditional metallic reinforcement.

Having fully described the several parts and their uses, a furtherexplanation relating to operation is not necessary.

\Vhat claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,--

1. A caisson comprising a cylindrical casing formed with perforationsand provided with a bottom having perforations and an in'ipcrforatepart; a second cylindrical casing disposed within said perforated easingupon the imperforate part of said bottom to provide an inner containerand an annular compartment in communication with said perforations; anda plurality of pipes adapted to conduct water under pressure to be discharged within the annular compartl'uent and below said. bottom.

2. A caisson com 'n-ising a cylindrical casing provided withperforations and provided with a bottom having perforations and animperl'orate part; a second cylindrical casing disposed within saidperforated casiug upon the in'iperl'orate part of said bottom to providean inner container and an annular compartment in connnunication withsaid perforations; a plurality of radially disposed b'aces traversingthe container aml annular compartnuuit; and a plurality of pipes adaptedto conduct water under pressure to be discharged within the annularcompartment and below said bottom.

8. A caisson comprising a cylindrical casing formed with perforationsand ])IO"l('lt3(l with a bottom having perforations and an im )erforatepart; a sleeve disposed longitudinally within said casing; a. secondcylindrical casing disposed within said perforated caising upon theimpcrforate part of said bottom and circumscribing the sleeve to providean inner annular container and an outer annular compartment incommunication with said perforations; a plurality of pipes inconnnunication with and adapted to conduct water under pressure to bedischarged within the outer annular compartment, aml a main pipetraversing said sleeve adapted to conduct water under pressure to bedischarged below said bottom.

4. A caisson comprising a perforated cylindrical casing provided with abottom; a

second cylindrical casing disposed within said perforated casing uponsaid bottom to provide, ad acent to said perforated casing,

' casing upon said bottom and circumscribing .posed transversely withinand having radi- "ways; and metallic strips having integral an innercontainer and an annular compartl 8. A caisson comprising cylindricalcasment in communication with said perforaings disposed end to end;metallic strips tions; an annular plate disposed trans f havingintegralportions projecting inwardly versely between and se ured upon the upper9 of the adjacent ends of the casings to prot ends of said casings totorln acbrace and l providing an upper contain:ngwvall for said bedeposited therein, and an arrangement I l annular compartment; anannular plate disof pipes for conducting water mder pres: 5 sure to bedischarged at the bottom and sides ally arranged arms bearing upon saidsecond of one of the casings.

, "ide reinforcements for a concrete till r t cylindrical casing: and amain pipe trav- 9. A caisson comprising a first cylindrical casingprovided 'with a nozzle projecting below its bottom; a secondcylindrical casing adapted to be disposed end to end upon the firstcylindrical casing; metallic strips having integral portions projectinginwardly of the adjacent ends of the casings to provide reinforcementsfor an adhesive filler to be deposited therein; and a tubular membercommunicating with and a daptcd to conduct. water under pressure to saidnozzle.

ersing the aperture of said annular plate adapted to conduct water underpressure to be dis harged below said bottom.

5. A caisson comprising a perforated cylindrical casing 'n-ovidcd with abottom; a second cylindrical casing disposed within said perforatedcasing upon said bottom to provide an inner container and an annularcompartment in communication with said perforations; an interiorlythreaded supporting-block formed with an annular groove and 10. Acaisson comprising a first cylindrimounted upon said bottom: a sleeveseated cal casingformed withperforations.and proin said groove anddisposed longitudinally j vided with a nozzle projecting below its botofthe caisson; a nozzle engaging the intom; a second cylindrical casingdisposed teriorly threaded part of the supportingblock and projectingbelow said bottom; aplurality of pipes ctmnected with and adapted toconduct water under pressure to be discharged within the annularcompartment; and a main pipe connected with and adapted to conduct waterunder pressure to said nozzle.

6. A caisson comprisinga cylindrical casing formed with perforations andprovided with a. bottom; a sleeve disposed longitudinally within saidcasing; a second cylindrical casing disposed within said perforatedmetallic strips providing integral portions; projecting inwardly of theadjacent ends of said casings to form reinforcements for a concretefiller therein; and 'a. plurality of adapted to conduct water underpressurt-ito sald perforatlons' and to said nozzle.

11. A- caisson comprising metallic cylindrical casings having outwardlypro ecting,

provided with discharge passageways, said casings being disposed end toend with their terminal flanges in register; keepers traversthe sleeveto provide an inner, annular coning said flanges; conducting pipesadapted tainer and an outer annular compartment in communication withsaid perforations; braces disposed between the cylindrical perforatedcasing and said second cylindrical casing; a plurality of pipes incommunication. with and adapted to conduct water under pressure to bedischarged within the outer annular compartment; a main pipe adhesivemixture to be'deposited therein. traversing said sleeve and adapted tocon- 12. A caisson comprising a first cylindriduct water under pressureto be discharged I cal casing having a terminal flange and below saidbottom; and a plurality of annular plates provided with radiallydisposed arms having bearings of their terminals upon said secondcylindrical casing. 7. A caisson comprising cylindrical casingsconnected end to end. one of said seclions being provided with dischargepassageways; tubular members adapted to be connected end to end withinand adjacent to the ends of the casings for conducting water underpressure to said discharge pass-ago acent to the ends of the casings forthe passage of water under pressure to the discharge passageways; and aplurality of nietallic strips having integral portions project casingsfor providing reinforcements for'an ,mg provided with a terminalfiange,said casings being disposed end to end with their flanges 1n register;keepers traversing said' projecting nozzle-m1 second cy ndrical casandprovided with radially dis 'ioscd arms conne ted with the casings; atubular mem her formed in sections, saidsections being disposed withtheir terminals connected at said tubular member being in communicationwith and adapted to conduct Water junder'pressure to said nozzle.

13. A ca portions projecting inwardly of the enrlsof the connectedcasings to provide reinforcements for a concrete filler to be depositedtherein.

isson comprising a first cylindriend to end upon the first cylindricalasing; 9o

tubular members communicating with and terminal flanges, one of thecasings being 100.-

to be connected end to cndwlthin'and admg inwardly of the ends of theconnected formed with a bottom having an outwardlyflanges; annularplates disposed centrally of points adjacent to the ends of the casings,12 5 cal casing having discharge. passageways and 1 casin formed with aterminal flange; a second cylindrical casing formed with a terminalflange, said asings being disposed end to end with their fianges inregister; keepers traversing said flanges; annular plates disposedcentrally of and prox'ided with radially disposed arms connected withthe casings; a tubular member formed in sections, said sections beingdisposed with their terminals connected atpoints adjacent to theconnected ends of the casings, said tubular member traversing theannular plates for a communication with one of said dischargepassageways for conducting water thereto under pressure; a plurality oftubular mem' bers traversing the casings and in communication with theother discharge passageways for conducting water under pressure thereto;and a plurality of elongated strips sup ported by the arms of saidannular plates, said strips having integral portions projecting inwardlyof the adjacent ends of said for providin r reinforcements for anadhesive filler to be eposited therein.

14. A caisson, comprising a plurality of metallic casings provided withtransverse terminal tlanges and adapted to be disposed end to end withtheir llangcs comm-ted; a plurality of metallic strips cach adapted tolie in a part of each of the adjacent connected caissons to provide areinforcement for an adhcsiwv mixture to be deposited therein.

15. A caisson, comprising a plurality of cylindrical, metallic casingsprovided with transverse, terminal llangcs and adapted to be disposedend to end with their tlanges connected; a plurality of annular platesdisposed transversely within and having radially disposed arms hearingupon the casings; metallic strips lying in a part of each casingadjacent to said terminal llangcs to provide reinforcements for anadhesive element to be deposited therein.

In testimony whereof I have atlixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

EDW'ARD BIGNELL.

Witnesses:

Hnxnr Mannx Gnmsxsmr, W. G. S. Coon.

